Preparing the uppers of boots or shoes for lasting



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W. 0. CROSS. PREPARING THE UPPERS 0F BOOTS 0R SHOES FORVLASTING. No.313,301.

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ST TES FFICEO PREPARING THE UPPERS OF BOOTS OR SHOES FOR LASTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,301, dated March 3,1885.

(No model) To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. Gnoss, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Preparing the Uppers of Boots and Shoes forLasting, of which the following is a specification.

In my Letters Patent N 0. 306,589, dated October 14, 1884, I havedescribed a way of preparing boot and shoe uppers for lasting bycombining with the upper a draw-cord laid along the edge and upon one ofthe sides of the upper, and a loop-cord laid along the edge and upon theother side of the upper and bent at intervals into loops whose bightspass through to the opposite side of the upper and receive thedraw-cord. This arrangement, al though sufficient for some kinds ofwork,cannot always be effectively employed, because in it the draw-cord.forms in effect a part of the stitch, and thus cannot be as thick andheavy as required for some kinds of work. W'ith a view to removing thisobjection I devised a way of applying the draw-cord, which is describedin my application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 146,437. filed October25, 188i, and llJjCOIlSlSiS in applying to one side of the upper aloop-thread and a draw-cord which passes through the loops of theloop-thread alternately from opposite sides thereof, so that the loopsshall extend across or over the drawcord diagonally and alternately inopposite directions. Under this arrangement the drawcord,as in myPatentNo. 306,589, is laid along the edge and upon one side of theupper; but unlike the said patented arrangement the draw-cord isindependent of and forms no part of the stitch. Y

My present improvement embodies the featurelast specified, but isdesigned to provide a Way by which the draw-cord may be applied andfirmly held to the actual edge of the upper by a series of loops whichstraddle the said edge. .I am aware that this has ina general Way beendone already; but in the arrangements heretofore devised for the purposethe loop-thread has been applied by a running stitch or by sewing it"over and over the edge. The vital objection to this arrangement is thatthe loops are free to draw one upon the other, the result being thatwhen the draw-cord is pulled on some of the loops will elongate at theexpense of others, and consequently the upper will not be pulled jectedto unequal draft upon various portions of its edge. Under myarrangement, however, this objection is entirely avoided, the loopsstraddle the edge so that I get a pull upon both sides of the upper; butI lock each loop so that it cannot possibly lengthen or shorten or beaffected by the pull upon the other loops, and I thus maintain thedrawcord at all points around the edge in the desired and predeterminedrelation to the upper.

The nature of my improvement and the manner in which it is or may becarried into effect will be readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view of a portion of anupper prepared in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of theupper lasted. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views representing more indetailthe locked loops.

In the several figures, A is the upper, a is the draw-cord, and b is theloop-thread. It will be noted that the loops oftheloop-thread straddlethe edge of the upper, and that each loop is locked, so that while theloop-thread is continuous each loop is unaffected by the others andremains permanently just as it was laid in the first instance. Theloopsvirtually cover the edge of the upper and are formed readily by sewingaround the edge with the loop-thread a row of stitches each looked as ina button-hole stitch. In thus stitching around the edge of the upperwith a buttonhole lock-stitch the draw-cord is applied by being fedalong with the upper, the stitches of the loop-thread cover it and keepit close to the edge of the upper, as indicated.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with the upper, of the loop-thread I), applied to theedge ofthe upper in the form of a connected series of loops, each ofwhich straddles the edge of the upper and is locked in placetherein soas to be unaffected by others, and the draw-cord a, passing through andheld in said loops along and around the edge of the upper, ashereinbefore shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day ofNovember, 1884.

Witnesses: \VILLIAM O. GROSS.

FRANK T. BENNER, GEORGE S. LrrrLnrrnLn;

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